Category: Ministry

Sale of Work

Posted on by Diane Smyth

After months of preparation and labour the talent and creativity of a large number of Mercy and Presentation Sisters and Associates went public.  At 2:00 p.m. the doors of the Lantern (the Presentation Centre for Spirituality) openned to a large waiting crowd.  The hall was flush with paintings and photography, greeting cards, jewellry, Christmas decorations, knitted, needle-worked and crocheted goods, baked goods, other hand-crafted items, and the ever popular "Nuns" Fudge.  Crowds explored the goods at each table and in a short time the baked-goods table was bare.  Other tables met the same fate – a good thing for the beneficiaries of this sale, the missions of both Congregations.  None of the Mall would have done such a brisk business as this event today!  Congratulations to the organizers of this event!  A huge success.  Thanks to all who shared their time, talent and resources.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Good Cup of Tea at St. Joseph’s Convent

Posted on by Diane Smyth

Nine women who live in the neighbourhood of the convent or who work with Sisters of Mercy in the nearby L.A. Miller Centreaccepted the invitation to learn more about Catherine McAuley and to have a Good Cup of Tea.  We began with a prayer followed by the viewing of Circle of Mercy: The Life and Charism of Catherine McAuley.  After a brief discussion and response to the video we moved to the dining room where we were served a good cup of tea (and coffee) with warm tea-buns and a variety of jams.  As the group was leaving the house a few of them informed us that they were looking forward to Part II.  It was a lovely evening enjoyed by all.

Global Mercy Alive in the 21st Century

Posted on by Diane Smyth

The topic of the event was Global Mercy in the 21st Century.  For two days, September 21 and 22, over 80 men and women, Mercy Sisters, Associates, colleagues and friends met at the Corpus Chrsti Parish Hall to pray, listen, reflect and share.  For the first day Sr. Mary Reynolds madeCatherine McAuley known as “nourishment for our time.”  She revealed to us her heart, the heart of a mother, the heart of an advocate, the heart of a woman of the Gospel- a heart of love, justice, of mercy and compassion.  She highlighted the global presence of Mercy especially through the Mercy International Association.  Sr. Elizabeth Davis situated Mercy in Newfoundland and Peru in this larger context as she described who we are.

On the second day of our gathering Mary Purcell laid out the richness of Mercy International in description of MIA’s global initiatives and helped us further develop a vision of how we might further these initiatives from our position on the planet.

These two days stretched our thinking but most of all expanded our hearts and minds.  They helped us increase our consciousness of Mercy in the world in which we live and work and challenged us to open to what the works of Mercy call us to be and to do in this day and age.  They were two rich and enriching days.  We thank Mary Reynolds and Mary Purcell for their presence and for their presentations.

submitted by Diane Smyth

Newfoundland and Labrador initiatives on Human Trafficking

Posted on by Diane Smyth

The Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy of Newfoundland, together with other religious congregations, NGO and police force members are part of the Newfoundland and Labrador Human Trafficking Committee.  The aim of the committee is to end Human Trafficking through public awareness, services to trafficked persons, advocacy, and resources and training support to law enforcement.

Their objectives are to:

1) Ensure a coordinated effort to provide a first and second response to victims of Human Trafficking.

2) Raise awareness of Human Trafficking in the community and create a network of contacts so that victims of Human Trafficking can be identified and supported.

The activities of the committee involve:-

  • Developing first and second response teams.
  • Developing of an Operational Handbook for the first and second response teams.
  • Recruitment and identification of training opportunities for team and Committee members and the community.
  • Developing an information package on the NL Human Trafficking Committee.
  • Maintaining a list-serve of interested community contacts and organizations.


In  March 2012, the Institute Of The Blessed Virgin Mary Canadian Province (Loreto Sisters) sponsored a conference of all organizations/individuals interested in the issue of Human Trafficking. The title of the conference was Human Trafficking: Breaking the Chains  and it took place in Toronto, Ontario.  Over two hundred people attended the conference, coming from diverse backgrounds:  high school students, women and men religious, representatives of non-governmental agencies, aboriginal persons, group home workers, etc. Elizabeth Davis rsm facilitated the conference.

Some of the major conclusions were as follows:-

1. Human trafficking is modern day slavery.  Marginalized women and children are being purchased by educated men.

2. Persons being trafficked are real people – women, girls and boys whose voices must be heard as we work to bring this horror to an end.  The most vulnerable women and children are identified and targeted.  Our society is accountable for reducing the vulnerabilities of persons which allow human trafficking to continue.

3.Human trafficking is based on control, exploitation and profit and is rooted in racism, sexism and classism.

4.This is a matter both domestic and international.  While many might have thought it is primarily international in nature and related to human smuggling, in fact most human trafficking in Canada is domestic – Canadian women and children being trafficked to Canadian men.

5.This modern slavery has not been brought to an end because of ignorance of the issue by so many Canadians and complicity by so many others.  The sex trade is highly organized and integrated and brings in much money for those who control it.  The response, therefore, must also be highly organized and integrated if we are to be successful in bringing this form of slavery to an end.

6.New legislation is needed but is slow in coming and still fails to target the persons buying the sex services thus keeping the sex trade in business.

7.Actions to end this crime include increasing awareness and education, strengthening of gender equality, decreasing vulnerabilities of women and children, working to change and strengthen legislation, working to influence hotels, airlines and businesses which sometimes inadvertently support human trafficking either through ignorance or complicity; strengthening education for health professionals, strengthening programs for aftercare and rehabilitation and affordable housing for survivors, and changing society by changing images which support prostitution and the sex trade.

8.Many resources are available to assist in increasing awareness and education.

9. The success of efforts to end human trafficking lies in creating partnerships, in collaboration among organizations.

Sister Elizabeth concluded the proceedings by encouraging each person to leave  committed to at least one new action which he or she would undertake to add to the efforts of all those determined to end the slavery of human trafficking.

Full details of the conference are linked here (pdf)

Messages to: Margie Taylor

170 Years- Mercy in Newfoundland

Posted on by Diane Smyth

Founded 170 years ago

This year we celebrate 170 years of history and ministry of the Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy of Newfoundland.  We have a rich history of dedicated commitment in health care, education, social services and pastoral ministry on the island of Newfoundland, in Labrador, in Peru, in Ontario, Washington, Florida, Ireland and Africa. All of this ‘action’ is rooted in the ‘contemplative’ aspect of the Sisters’ lives, and especially in the lives of the elder Sisters, where they find their source of grace and energy.

The story of the Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy of Newfoundland began when Bishop Michael Anthony Fleming traveled to Dublin, Ireland where he approached Catherine McAuley to request a community of Sisters of Mercy for his island mission. To facilitate his plan, the bishop agreed to send to the convent on Baggot Street a young lady to be trained as a Sister of Mercy so that she could return to Newfoundland and found a Convent of Mercy in St. John’s. The bishop’s choice for this important role was Marianne Creedon, a young Irish lady who had lived in St. John’s since 1833 and who was familiar with the needs of the mission. Catherine McAuley received Marianne Creedon into the novitiate at Baggot Street, and on August 19, 1841, Marianne, now Sister Mary Francis, was professed as a Sister of Mercy. Nine months later, on May 2, 1842, Sister Francis Creedon, accompanied by Sisters Ursula Frayne and Rose Lynch left St. Catherine’s Convent, Baggot Street, and crossed the Atlantic Ocean to form the first community of the Sisters of Mercy in the New World. They arrived in St. John’s, Newfoundland on June 3, 1842. This date marks the establishment of the Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy of Newfoundland.

During the first eleven months of the new mission, the Sisters of Mercy visited the sick and the poor in their homes. On December 12, 1842, the Sisters moved from their temporary home, the bishop’s residence, to their new convent on Military Road. This was the first Mercy Convent in the New World. On May 1, 1843, Our Lady of Mercy School, Military Road, was formally opened.

90 Years of Care and Compassion

Posted on by Diane Smyth

On May 21, 1922 a twenty- three bed hospital was opened in what had formerly been a residence for working girls on the corner of Lemarchant Road and St. Clare Avenue.

The hospital was part of the vision of the Archbishop of St. John’s, E.P. Roche, who invited the Sisters of Mercy to take leadership in the administration of the hospital and in the nursing care of the people who came to them for medical attention.

History

May 21, 2012 is the anniversary of the opening of St. Clare’s Mercy Hospital in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. Over those ninety years the hospital has grown from a twenty-three bed building where men, women and children were cared for to a sprawling seven-storey complex that provides the best of modern medicine, total care of body, mind and spirit, and the highest calibre of care and compassion for 207 adults.

Celebrations

In order to celebrate its ninetieth year a number of events had been planned. A celebration of the Eucharist on May 14 by Archbishop Martin Currie was the opening event. In her reflection during the liturgy Sister Elizabeth Davis, Congregational Leader of the Sisters of Mercy spoke of St. Clare’s being a ‘place of healing’, a ‘holy place’ and a ‘place where God’s mercy endures forever’. She reminded us of the words of Archbishop Roche at the opening of the new hospital in 1939 when he said “Verily, my dear Sisters, the acorn has developed into a mighty oak; the tiny grain of mustard seed has grown, as we hoped it would, into a mighty tree.” Cake and refreshments were provided to all staff and visitors on May 22 in the hospital cafeteria with entertainment by the Celtic Fiddlers.

Staff were treated to a visit from "The Spirit of St. Clare’s" on May 28. Sister Dolorosa Brennan dressed in the traditional habit (white for hospital) of the Sisters of Mercy. She greeted staff, patients and family members and gave them a pin that was struck to commemorate the anniversary. Later in the Fall there will be a special public lecture to commemorate St. Clare’s 90 years.

Vision and Mission

The Sisters of Mercy have been dedicated to the care of persons who are sick, with a special care for those who are dying. Many Sisters and those who collaborated with them over the years have provided thousands of years of care and compassion. Many men and woman are graduates of the St. Clare’s School of Nursing. They along with the current staff and volunteers have imbibed the spirit of the founders of St. Clare’s down through the years and continue to heal those who seek care. They continue to live out the values of care, compassion, excellence, integrity, and mercy.

Messages to: Diane Smyth rsm – Manager Pastoral Care and Ethics, Eastern Health

New Mercy Life in Peru, New Hope

Posted on by Diane Smyth

In February and March, 2012 the Sisters of Mercy of Newfoundland marked three major events in the life of the Congregation, the Mercy Sisters in Peru and in the life of three wonderful women, their communities, families and friends.

On February 5 Alita Sanchez Sanchez, from Monsefu renewed her vows as a Sister of Mercy, her third year in preparation for permanent commitment.

On March 1 Maria Elizabeth Galan Fiestas from San Jose on the coast of Peru was received as a postulant in the chapel at the house in Ichocan, Peru.  Nine Sisters of Mercy of Newfoundland were present with Maria for her reception as a Postulant, a period of discernment leading to the time of Novitiate.

On March 3, we celebrated the first profession of Rosali Esperaza Vargas Mendoza whose home community is LaGrama in the Andes. These three women are journeying through the various stages of the formation program of new members to full incorporation as Sisters of Mercy. They bring new life and great hope to the Sisters of Mercy, to the church and to the people of Peru. The reception of a postulant and the renewal of vows usually take place in a simple ceremony. The First Profession of Vows is celebrated more publicly and with special ceremony.

Rosali celebrated her First Profession in her home pueblo of LaGrama in company with Sisters, her family and friends. Thirty-five friends travelled to Ichocan, some travelled for two nights by bus from the coast, Lima and northern Peru.  Among these were twenty-three sisters of Mercy and our new postulant, Maria, all who minister in various regions of Peru. Others were friends and colleagues of Rosali from Lima, Puerto Eten, Reque and Monsefu where Rosali has ministered.  Padre Lucho Santamaria, a longtime friend of our sisters from the coast presided and gave a wonderful homily; he was joined by Padre Walter Cruz, pastor of neighboring San Marcos. All these travelers enjoyed the hospitality and accommodations and then a special meal at our Ichocan sisters` community before going to LaGrama for the Eucharist.

 

The people of the pueblo and all the guests filled the Church in LaGrama with a spirit of joy and great participation.  A delicious meal of cardero (lamb) was prepared by the LaGrama catechists and served with the help of parishioners from Ichocan to over a hundred guests in the lovely adjoining Parish Centre. A classmate of Rosali’s was MC at the lively dance that followed with all forms of dancing. Rosali expressed her joy in making her first profession in these words, “With great joy, I give thanks to God for fixing God`s gaze on me. I celebrate the mercy and fidelity of God expressed together with our pueblo. With profound love, I say ‘Yes’ to this call that allows me to share with joy the Reign of God. Thank you to my family, community, friends and my pueblo for accompanying me on this very special celebration”.

We all rejoice deeply in the treasure of hope and blessing celebrated in the generous commitment of Alita, Maria and Rosali. We ask God’s continued grace in their lives, and in the life of the Sisters of Mercy and of the Church in Peru.

Blessing and Opening of Palliative Care Room at St. Patrick’s Mercy Home

Posted on by Diane Smyth

St. Patrick’s Mercy Home Opens Palliative Care Room                                                    

June 20, 2011: St. John’s, NL – St. Patrick’s Mercy Home today announced the official opening of its newly renovated palliative care space during a special Blessing and Celebration Ceremony. The two-year renovation project has been a priority of the Administration and Board of Directors of St. Patrick’s Mercy Home.
 
The Creedon Family Room is a space dedicated to the needs of a resident in the final stages of life, providing care that is both competent and compassionate. It will also provide a quiet space for family members to be present with their loved one in comfort and convenience.
 
“It is a privilege to be a part of this dedication,” said Joan Marie Aylward, Executive Director, St. Patrick’s Mercy Home. “This room will be a beautiful enhancement to the lives of families and residents at such an important time.” 
 
The room is named in memory of Sister Francis Creedon, founder of the Sisters of Mercy in Newfoundland. Sister Francis came to St. John’s with two other companions from Dublin, Ireland on June 3, 1842 and established the first Mercy foundation in the New World. Sister Francis visited the homes of the sick and dying of St. John’s and cared for victims of the cholera epidemic which occurred in 1854.
 
”The Sisters of Mercy have been committed to special space for palliative care services since they first established the Palliative Care Unit at St. Clare’s Mercy Hospital in 1979,” said Sr. Elizabeth Davis, Congregational Leader for the Sisters of Mercy. “We are delighted that St. Patrick’s Mercy Home has now found dedicated space for palliative care to continue the strong support the staff and volunteers have always given to dying residents and their families. May all residents who die in this space know dignity and peace as they spend their last days on this earth here with their loved ones.”
 
St. Patrick’s Mercy Home Foundation provided the funding for the furnishing of the room. A generous bequest was also made on behalf of Mary and Helen Flynn, two former residents of St. Patrick’s.

Sale of Work: Just like the Old Days

Posted on by Diane Smyth
Art/Crafts/Baked Goods Sale
Presentation and Mercy Sisters and Associates
article contributed by Sister Madeline Byrne 

This special day began last May when I visited with a few of the Presentation Sisters and Associates to discuss the idea of having a joint Art/Craft/Bake Goods Sale. The idea was well received so the planning began. Throughout the year we met several times and letters were sent to all Sisters and Associates of both congregations. The date for the sale was set for November 27, 2010. We prayed there would not be a snow storm. We were lucky: it was a sunny day and lots of parking space.

On November 27, Mercy Convent Gymnasium was decorated, tables in readiness to receive the items. Shortly after lunch the Sisters and Associates began to arrive with their donations of goods—sweaters, socks, doilies, blankets, aprons, cards, paintings, cakes, cookies and of course, fudge. What would a Mercy Sale be if you didn’t have “Nuns fudge”! There seemed to be so much! None of us imagined it would be all sold in an hour.

 

When the sale officially opened the people just kept coming and buying something special. It was a great day for everyone. Many saw some old friends and students –a celebration of a kind!  The sale was a great success. The proceeds from the event were donated to our charities-The Gathering Place, Peruvian Mission and Presentation Sisters Mission in Dominica. A week later the committee met to review the event and make plans for next year!

The day finally arrived!

The tables were piled high!

We all stood wondering

if enough people would come to buy it all.

Look to the Stars

Posted on by Diane Smyth

Friday, November 12th was a clear, crisp and “stellar” evening in St. John’s!   It was perfectly still and just right for star-gazing. The weatherman on the CBC Evening News told viewers that it was a perfect night to see the stars and dotted his weather map with them. Members of the St. John’s Centre Royal Astronomical Society set up their telescopes and high-powered binoculars to view the moon and stars and other treasures of our expansive universe. Adults and children gathered in the garden of the Mercy Centre for Ecology and Justice on Mount Scio Road at 6:00 p.m., waiting patiently as the scientists set up their delicate, yet powerful instruments. Craters and mountains on the moon were visible- no one saw the man-in-the moon! Other planets and constellations of stars could easily be seen.  Even the space station came into view. 

 

We appreciate the effort of the Astronomical Society to provide this special opportunity. We thank Sister Mary Tee, Coordinator of the Mercy Centre for Ecology and Justice,  and her committee for making this possible. We hope to have another opportunity to look to the stars.